


Meet me on the battlefield

by Dadchitaughtmehowtofly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Elemental Magic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 05:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12857277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dadchitaughtmehowtofly/pseuds/Dadchitaughtmehowtofly
Summary: "Stick with me and I'll keep you on your feet."A long gone claim of trust, something  that no one has ever done for him.When Daichi thought that no one else would have been able to trust him again, someone asked him to put his own trust in them.





	Meet me on the battlefield

**Choose your own side**

  
  
  
"Hi, i'm Kuroo Tetsurou, who are you?"  
  
Daichi's life went silent and undisturbed until a cold december morning, when he was going home from school and suddenly a voice cut through the icy cold air.  
It was a little boy, thin and short, with long, dark and messy hair, his eyes were bright golden pools.  
  
Daichi looked at the boy in front of him for some time, then he just walked away.  
  
It was late and his dad would not have liked it.  
  
**  
  
"Hi, do you remember me? I'm Kuroo, from yesterday."  
  
'He looks stubborn' thought Daichi stopping on his way home to take a look at the other one.  
He had his golden eyes fixed on him and Daichi could see a determined spark in them and it scared him in a way, but it also put a strange feeling inside of him.  
  
That morning was colder than the day before and he was shivering in his light jacket.  
He knew that soon the snow would have covered their town and the whole hill, he could taste the soothing flavor of the silence in his mouth already, and it meant also that the lakes would have been completely frozen and the children would have left their cozy houses to go skating.  
  
'If i'm staying i'll be late again' thought and he started to walk away from the cheery guy.  
  
**  
  
The story was lasting more than he had imagined at first.  
  
Everyday when the lessons were over, Kuroo would place himself in front of him to talk briefly about something, he also started to follow him for a while on his way home, and Daichi never said anything, as long as they departed streets before his house was in sight and his father could see what was happening.  
  
Anyway Daichi started to think that the other boy made up speeches at night, because there was no way someone could talk that long without exhausting themselves.  
He didn't know weather he liked all this situation or not, the only thing he knew was that sooner rather than later he found himself thinking that the way home from school was shorter than usual.  
  
**  
  
"We're having exams in a week, and i'm honestly not really worried about that, i'm more excited to know what my magus element is." Kuroo said.  
Daichi wasn't worried about exams either, but neither was he excited for element ceremony: he was not exactly fond of large crowds, besides he already knew about his own element and he wasn't very fond of it either, he also knew that the people in the village would not have appreciated.  
  
That was something to be worried about, maybe, but he wasn't.  
He'd been preparing for this for a long time and he was almost glad he didn't have to hide something to the outside world anymore.  
  
"Ehi, you're spacing out!" said Kuroo, shaking Daichi's shoulder "Are you okay?"  
It was maybe the first time he purposefully touched him.  
It was... warm.  
  
Daichi watched him briefly with big eyes, then he moved his gaze to the ground "I'm okay." he said without thinking.  
An uneasy warmth grew on his face and he went back to make his way home.  
  
Several seconds of silence later he had to turn around to see why Kuroo wasn't talking anymore, only to find him gaping 'What now?' he thought.  
  
Kuroo smiled with a face Daichi had never seen before, it looked more like a smirk than a proper smile, but he didn't say anything about it.  
"...You know? I think i'm gonna be an air magus because, come on they're so cool and they can fly..." he came back to talk like every other day.  
  
Snow was falling and Daichi was glad the silence wasn't as loud as any other winter.  
  
  
**  
  
  
The day after Kuroo was nowhere to be seen.  
Daichi thought that maybe he was back into his right mind and that he had stopped following someone who didn't even talk back to him.  
He deserved it and it was definitely for the better: he couldn't even think about his father finding out that he was near someone else without shivering.  
  
Daichi took his exit from school yard and he looked around, but anyway there was no one with messy long dark hair.  
He kneeled on the ground to tighten the tie on his shoes and when he got up he still couldn't see anyone around.  
  
He let out a long sigh and started to walk, step by step, leaving footprints on the soft snow.  
  
Suddenly shouts and knocking sounds took his attention, he turned his head around to look for the source of these sounds, but there was nothing to be seen.  
  
Unless...  
  
Another sound reached him from his right and Daichi had the certainty of it: there had to be an air magus around.  
Something in him twisted, he knew far too well how some air magus worked: they moved the air enough to create a spot in which they couldn't be seen by others.  
The thing is that most of air magus guys used that trick to torture the weakest between the children.  
  
On the other hand it was not his place to stand for, nor his business, so he moved a step in his way home, but then a voice cut through the air and everything made instantly sense.  
"Don't even dare talk this way about him!"  
  
Kuroo.  
He was in there, he was in truble.  
Daichi looked at his own clock, it was late, but then again Kuroo was in there and he was shouting, and he was being hit again and again and he was so little and fragile.  
  
Once.  
It wouldn't be a problem if for once he took his time to arrive home.  
  
His backpack fell on the ground and he took out his jacket: he couldn't use his powers, but maybe, he could have used some wit of his, so he used his jacket to move the air.  
Kuroo was on the ground, another guy above him.  
Blood was pouring from his face, but he was surprised to see that also the bigger guy was bleeding badly.  
  
"Let him be." said and the guy looked up at him in surprise.  
Kuroo was smirking under him, as if he knew that would have happened. "I said 'let him be'." repeated "others can see you now and you don't want to be expelled, do you?"  
The big guy let out a low growl and looked at him with raging anger in his eyes, but he got up and ran away.  
  
Daichi looked at Kuroo sitting on the floor, all blood and scratches, with a smirk still on his face as if it was painted on it.  
He shook his head, took his backpack and walked away from the spot.  
  
It was late.  
  
**  
  
"Ehi, ehi wait for me!"  
  
That day the lessons lasted more than they usually did and Daichi was literally running home, so he had no time.  
He had no time.  
The bright white snow was shining in contrast with the black sky: a storm was coming and not a good one.  
  
He heard a sigh and a pained voice "I thought you finally started to see me" it said and Daichi turned his head enough to see Kuroo standing there, with his bruised face, so bad shaped that even to talk looked an almost painful task.  
  
Daichi didn't know what Kuroo was talking about, he didn't even want to know it.  
There was something inside of him, a familiar voice that kept on saying that he had to be alone, that he had to protect the others from him.  
That it would have been better if he wasn't born.  
  
Daichi didn't know what Kuroo was talking about because he was already seeing him, in all his stubborn determination, in his will power, in his kindness and straightforwardness.  
He was seeing him already and he was also silently thankful that the Kuroo saw him in the first place.  
  
  
**  
The altar was standing gracefully as always in the snowy field and a icy wind hit their faces with force, but it never looked that merciless in its beautiful, majestic structure.  
On the stage there were four blocks, on each of them there was an element: air, water, fire and earth.  
That was the day.  
The day in which every teen started their life as magus.  
  
Most of them already knew what kind of magic they had, but there were others who would have known only on that day.  
  
There were also lots of non-magical people: the neutrals.  
  
Daichi was an earth magus, he had been knowing that since he had memories and usually people started to develop magic at 10.  
He was a freak and they always tried to keep it as hidden as they could.  
  
Out of the four elements earth was the one people feared the most and the rarest one since the time of the four tyrants war.  
Years of violence and battles in which magus and neutral people fought each others to obtain the elemental supremacy.  
  
Everyone between the four tyrants was a representative of his own magic element: Nobuteru the air tyrant, Nekomata the fire tyrant, Washijo the water tyrant and Ukai the earth tyrant.  
  
Earth won at first and the years following his victory seemed to be peaceful and glorious ones, until one day the earth tyrant disappeared.  
His place was desired by everyone and it looked like another war was coming, but then a young man took his place on his throne and claim himself to be the new Tyrant.  
His name was deleted from history, but he was called the small giant.  
  
Fear started to grow, people fell, blood was spilled in order to bring peace over the reign and to gain more stability.  
The people suffered loss and pain in what was called the second earth empire.  
Sooner than later, though, bards started to call it simply 'the earth empire' forgetting how the dark era came from a golden era.  
Forgetting how earth people were not only individuals pulled by bloodlust, power and pride, forgetting how they took part in the rebellion and died with the others magicians.  
Forgetting that they were humans too.  
  
That Daichi was human, too.  
  
Daichi's father was an air magus, his mother was water's.  
It often happened like an imprinting between air and water creatures, it was like they were bonded and if that bond was broken something horrible happened to the ones that remained alone: they lost powers and part of their vital force too.  
They were left alone in a grey world, unable to feel anything about anyone, unable to forgive and Daichi knew that better than anyone else, because his mother was dead.  
  
"Isn't it strange?" it was a soft voice, and Daichi knew that voice better than anyone "i mean, we've always been here, in the crowd, watching people obtain powers and now it's our time."  
Yes, it was strange indeed, it was strange that Daichi felt calm, that he was almost glad his hiding was coming to an end.  
It was as if his powers were asking him to flow freely finally, even though he knew that it would not have happened.  
  
"Sometimes i wander what are you thinking in that head of yours." said and Daichi's lips went up, unexpectedly.  
He looked at the white ground, at their feet closer than he'd have normally liked.  
Silence was embracing them, but there was no tension, no cold, only the warmth that you obtain from a good company and understanding.  
  
"You know? I think i'm a neutral." these words fell like a weightful stone on them "It's not that bad, my mother is one too after all, so it wouldn't be a surprise, genetic has a lot to do with magic powers."  
There was something in his voice that let out disappointment.  
"What about your father?" he asked even before he could think about talking.  
"Oh, i.. never met him, but mom told me he was an air magus." he answered.  
  
Daichi understood, air magus usually show magic between 10 and 12 years old, so it would have been strange for him to be one of them.  
The other choice was water but given his parents it would have been strange, fire was as rare as earth was, so it was only natural that he would think to be a neutral.  
Nonetheless Daichi was an earth magus, even if it was rare, even if his parents were bounded by a typical air and water bond, so he didn't believe in what was commonly called 'impossible'.  
  
"Believe me when i say that a thing for how much improbable it can be, won't never be impossible."  
he said and Kuroo tuned his head to look at him.  
Daichi didn't see him, but he knew that his eyes were light up with hope and surprise, and for a second he was happy that it had been him the one who put a spark in them.  
  
People were now crowding around the altar "let's go now, we've got to get ready.  
  
They walked to the people and Daichi looked at them, studying their faces for the first time in years, he wanted to actually watch them as they were just like they were going to look at him later, knowing his true nature.  
  
Everything was finally starting.  
  
*  
  
"Welcome to the magical test!" the village mistress greeted them all.  
Her voice was brought to everyone's ear thanks to an air wizardry she was very fond of. "Like every year we are going to greet new maguses in our ranks and divide them in their own elemental groups." she explained "This practice is not new to us, we all know it, but i also am obliged to tell the story of this test. This test has been created after the terrible earth empire by the rebels guided by Nekomata sensei and it is based on the fact that open truth about everyone's elemental source can help us to keep the peace and everyone under control. Secrets must be eradicated." she ended her speech with the new empire's motto "And now let's start the test."  
  
The first child walked on the stage and Daichi started to feel anxious "If it's in alphabetical order our turn will be near the end." said Kuroo, but all that Daichi could hear was a long trill in his ears.  
  
"Don't be anxious" he said "you'll be great, i know it."  
"And what exactly would you know now?" Daichi asked, there was rage in his voice, anger and skepticism "Stop talking about something you don't know." he said.  
Kuroo was watching his feet and he was opening and closing his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't master the courage to do it.  
"But i know" he whispered and Daichi froze in his place "i saw you once: you were sitting in the school yard, under the tree i was on and you were sleeping."  
Daichi didn't understand what Kuroo thought to have seen.  
"Flowers were blossoming all around you." he said then is his ears with a thin voice.  
So magic actually wanted to flow.  
  
How many others did know about his elemental source?  
"Trust me, no one else knows about it, i started to look after you after that time, at first i was curious about you, cuz you know what they say about earth magicians, but then i... i don't know, i just wanted to go out and see your magic, your flowers or eat the apples that you made..."  
  
"So you knew..." he said absentmindedly "Nonthless you wanted to befriend me. Why?"  
Time passed, girls and boys of the village got on the stage and exited from it quickly, still Kuroo didn't give him his answers.  
  
"Why not?" he said then.  
  
"Sawamura Daichi." it was his turn.  
Time had come for the truth to be exposed and for his life to be changed.  
  
His first step echoed its vibrations through his whole body to his head, which felt light and unstable.  
Everything he saw was blurred and the same people he was studying and watching in the eyes until minutes ago, looked like undefined points of color.  
The air was saturated in silence which fell physically on him and his back and his legs felt weaker than ever.  
  
"Daichi" he knew that voice, and he didn't at the same time.  
It was low as if its owner was far away from him, but at the same time it felt as if it was on his inside.  
It didn't make sense, but nothing in that moment did.  
  
The snowflakes were falling so slowly that it looked as if they were stuck in an invisible net, people was silent and frozen in place, even the village mistress was frozen in her composed position and expression, she was like an ice statue with her blond hair and her cold grey eyes.  
  
"Daichi, we have not a lot of time, we have to be quick." it said and again he felt to know that, like when you hear an old song of which you know the rhythm, but you can't remember the words.  
"Who are you?" he asked then, fascinated and scared by all those emotions.  
  
"The question is who are you, my beautiful boy." it said.  
  
"Mom" Daichi turned frantically around to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen.  
"You won't find me around you, son, but i'll always be a part of you, and it's from here inside that i'm talking." she explained.  
"But why now?" he asked.  
  
"Why not?" she said hiding a low chuckle "We like him, don't we? And he's a lot more than he thinks to be. But it's not about him that i want to talk about now, in our last talk." she sighed.  
"I'm here now because you need me now where you have to accept what you are, because if no one else will, you have to stay strong, because i promise you that there will be a time and a place where you'll finally feel at home and accepted, but you have to fight for these things and to do so you have to be strong enough to stand for your own rights. I love you, my beautiful boy and this will never change. Your dad loves you too, he's just too scared and weak to show you how much."  
  
Daichi felt his own knees give up and he hit the ground "Mom, but-"  
  
"No, but, Daichi. Now that you're finally crying i have the chance to tell you how much i love you. I left a piece of my conscience inside of you, and now that you're crying, it's as if you're amplifying and finally removing it. We have not much time left, we had the time of a teardrop to fall, so let me tell you one last thing: you did not kill me Daichi, it was an accident, a terrible accident that took me away from you and your father and i hate that i had to go, but i did and i'm not here anymore." the voice was starting to fade away "But i'm sure that if i'd have been here you would have made me so proud... Stand up and make me proud, my beautiful boy."  
  
He stood up as slowly as the silence was being broken and the snowflakes started to fall as always, time was restored.  
He watched his left hand and found that in he was holding his own crystallized teardrop: a tiny, pure diamond strangely warm.  
  
A smile on his face, his mother's present in his hand, his heart light, he faced the crowd and let his magic flow freely for the first time.  
He wasn't scared by it, he didn't hate it, but he just let it out, tasting its strength, its sour flavour.  
  
The earth at the top of one between the four blocks started to move.  
A single flower blossomed from it, then it became a stronger plant and it kept on changing until in the middle of the stage stood a big, majestic oak.  
  
The crowd in front of him was frozen and the mistress had the messiest expression out of everyone, but Daichi felt free and the only person he cared about was now on the stage with him, breaking every rule and was watching with a big grin of his "I told you that you would have been great!"  
  
Daichi felt his own cheeks getting warmer and he brought his hand behind his head "Thank you." whispered.  
  
"Tetsurou, you shouldn't be here!" shouted the mistress "Just go back now bef-" but she was suddenly stopped by a loud rumble.  
One of the blocks started to grow under everyone's eyes, fire was on the top of it, Kuroo was now on the ground, panting.  
Daichi tried to get closer to him, but the mistress took him away "Don't, he will take your magic too." she said, but she couldn't just leave him there to shudder under an invisible weight.  
  
The fire was getting bigger every seconds, and his oak was now burning from the roots, the people in the crowd were now running away trying to escape from the fall of the giant tree.  
A boy was there, trying to wake his mother who was laying on the floor, maybe she fell while trying to escape.  
It was a matter of instants and the tree would have been falling from the high block on the crowd, so Daichi brought his hands on the ground in front of him and suddenly strong roots brew around the boy, his mother and whoever was left near the collision spot, creating an intricate net that protected them from the fall of the tree.

But the fire was still getting bigger and it was taking the shape of a big tornado.  
"Kuroo!" he shouted and then he ran near him, paying attention not to touch him.  
"Stay away!" he said, his voice was trembling, he was so scared.  
Scared to hurt people, scared of his own powers, of himself.  
Daichi knew this fear very well and he knew how to keep it in control, he only had to reach him.  
  
"Kuroo, listen to my voice, do you remember that you told me how much do you love to jump and climb the big trees of the ancient forest? You climb high and you're alone on the top of the world. You may think that you could feel strong and proud at the end of that climb, but actually what you feel is peace. Silence and wisdom of ancient trees is everything you need to feel little and insignificant and it is good, it is okay, because everything else does. All of your problems suddenly flow between your fingers like grey sand and you're just another granule of it. Do you remember? It was you that told me this and you were right, i did it and i loved it." he said.  
  
The firestorm was getting weaker, but it was still dangerous.  
  
"I need you to climb the higher tree you can think of, Kuroo, climb higher than you ever did and then you look down, what do you see?"he said, but the other didn't answer "tell me what you see Kuroo!"  
  
"There's my home, mom's inside and she's... she's making me lunch for when i'll come back from school, a-and there's the school and the iced lake where i promised you we'd have gone." the fire was now half sized, it was only matter of seconds before it all to end "and i see you, you're sleeping in a bed of green grass and lots of flowers are blossoming a-around you and they- they are beautiful." he said at last, right before losing his senses.

Daichi reached for him, for Kuroo Tetsurou, fire magus and precious friend.

**Author's Note:**

> So this one was meant to be an OS AU for kurodai we 2.0, but it looks like this story has his own will and it ended up being a bit longer and more complicated than it should have been.  
> I hope you liked it, let me know what you think with a comment or a kudo, or whatever mean you know.  
> FOLLOW ME ON TUMBLR, I'm dadchitaughtmehowtofly.


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